Entries by Julie Fleming

I recently spent nearly two hours sitting at an airport gate, sitting about 5 feet behind a stand with Delta American Express card representatives. You’ve probably seen these stands: a table to the side of a concourse, with various promotional freebies, application forms neatly stacked, and one or two hawkers, trying desperately to get people to […]

When you think about business development, do you think more of “yes” or “no”? Most people seem to think “yes.” YES, I’ll attend that networking meeting YES, I’ll write that article or blog post or newsletter YES, I’ll meet with that potential referral source YES, I’ll get another certification or specialists’ certificate YES, I’ll speak […]

A client recently confided that he had never actually asked for business from a potential client. Surprised (since I knew that his $275,000 book of business hadn’t just happened), I asked what he meant, and he responded that asking for the business means saying something like, “I’d like to handle that for you.” A flat, […]

Let’s close July with some articles and posts you should not miss. Every lawyer knows something about the pressures that surround the practice of law. And because business development is meaningless unless it moves you closer to a future you actually want to live, here are two articles and posts you should not miss about […]

Despite the best of intentions, it’s easy to let a relationship slide. You get busy, you lose track of your contact schedule, you run out of ideas for keeping in touch… And next thing you know, your relationship has atrophied. But, like muscle, an atrophied relationship can be rebuilt. By focusing time and attention on […]

One of my clients (let’s call her Renée) had a major disappointment recently. She had been courting a potential client (let’s call it ABC Corp.) for quite some time, and all the signs indicated that she would be tapped to handle a major piece of litigation. And then, instead of returning the engagement letter, ABC […]

July marks Canada Day as well as Independence Day in the United States and numerous other countries. This time of year always prompts me to ask two questions: First, what do freedom and independence mean to me personally, professionally, politically, and culturally? Second, what do I need to do to increase my freedom and independence, […]

Here’s an interesting article sharing 10 trends identified by CMOs from mid-sized regional firms. If you’re working in such a firm, ask yourself whether you are observing these or other trends and how you might respond to them. If you’re working at a different kind of firm, ask those questions as well as how you […]

Does social media activity really lead to new business? This question comes up quite frequently, along with its cousin, Why am I not seeing ANY results from my social media activity? Social media too often becomes a time-consuming, illusory activity that seems to promise results are just around the bend. But some lawyers have cracked the […]

When confronted with a new, daunting challenge, many of us have a tendency to say we’ll try. In the business development context, that might show up as, “Oh, I hate networking, but I know I need to meet new people, so I’m going to try attending the monthly entrepreneur’s meetup.” Or “I know I need […]

Author

You're already a good lawyer. Do you want to be a more productive lawyer? Julie Fleming understands. At some point, being in a law firm is no longer about the law. It's about marketing yourself. At Fleming Strategic, Julie shows good lawyers how to be more productive lawyers by building a book of business, while remaining true to themselves and their personal style.